So, after all the food of the holidays and in spite of our snow shoeing activities, I find myself with a BMI of 25.5. This is officially over the line. I can be defined as "Overweight." For the last two weeks, Mark and I have discussed possible diets for me to try. Our roommate even piped in. At the end of the day, I have decided to test this Atkins thing for two weeks and measure the results. Interested in comparing? Click on the Weightloss Experiment Nicole Sauce category to view related posts.

The Induction phase is the first, and most restrictive, phase of the Atkins Nutritional Approach. It is intended to cause the body to quickly enter a state of ketosis. Carbohydrate intake is limited to 20 net grams per day. The allowed foods include a liberal amount of most meats, up to 4 ounces of aged, hard or soft cheeses, three tablespoons of heavy cream, two cups of salad vegetables, one cup of other low glycemic low carb vegetables. Caffeine and alcoholic beverages are not allowed.

This rather conflicts with other instructions we found online, so we came up with the following compromise:

1) 20 grams of carbs per day for 2 weeks2) Coffee and vodka are OK in moderation3) We will try to eat as many veggies as we can fit into the 20 gram scenario4) After 2 weeks, we get a day of fun (Superbowl Sunday), where we track nothing. After that, I am on a 1600 calorie per day diet, balanced Sparky style.5) Ongoing maintenance will include one "fun" day per week where I can eat and drink anything.

There are many tools available to plan the first two weeks of Atkins, but I just decided to download a nutrition chart and go for gold...

1) Squish together spices, meat, diced summer squash and blue cheese dressing2) Cut the cabbage into quarter pieces and pull out the center so you have a 1/2 inch thick shell3) Stuff the meat mixture inside the cabbage4) Place a pat of butter on top of each quarter5) Sprinkle cheese on top6) Bake at 350 until it is done

Note: I undercooked ours and had to finish it off in the microwave. Use a meat thermometer if you have one to make sure it is done.

Total carbs: 16. (That's 8 each)

The serving was too big to finish and I awoke the next morning still FULL.